Bonhams

Banksy £400,000 triumph at Bonhams Urban Art Sale

Seventeen art works by the celebrated graffiti artist, Banksy, went under the hammer last night (29 March) as part of Bonhams Urban Art Sale, selling for a total of £405,425.

Exceptional prices were achieved for three original works by the artist. Leopard and Barcode, acquired directly from an exhibition entitled Existencilism at the 33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles by the present owner and never before been seen at auction, sold for £75,650; Love is in the Air, 2002, £87,650; and Bomb Hugger, £49,250.Banksy highlights also included Banksy's Girl and Balloon, 2009, which sold for £73,250; Happy Choppers, £13,125; and Nola, £12,500.

Top prices were also paid for O Anniversario da Meretris, 2008 by Os Gemeos (£73,250); Shepard Fairey's Take Action, 2005 (£24,375); and an untitled piece by Cyclops (£15,000).

In total, the sale realized £742,550 with 92% sold by value.

Gareth Williams, Urban Art Specialist at Bonhams, said: "Our results in last night's auction prove that the demand for works by Banksy is stronger than ever, and the interest in Urban Art continues to grow. It appears that it is now a truly global phenomenon, attracting bidders from around the world. We look forward to our next sale, and intend to include an exciting mix of big names and emerging talent in this rapidly developing area of the art market."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and appraisal services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com